or the weakness of our faith, but its genuineness. The same God who has hitherto kept you, is able and willing to keep you to the end. Little faith is always attended with doubts and fears,-above which strong faith mounts; but safety is as much the lot of the one as of the other. The strength or weakness of faith may, and will, affect our enjoyments, and have a considerable influence on our joys and sorrows; but both that which is strong and that which is weak lays hold of Christ; and He is the foundation of our hope. May God Almighty grant you his blessing, in time and eternity! So prays your affectionate brother, brother-in-law, and uncle,

"Mrs. T. Kingdon, Tywardreath."

"SAMUEL DREW."

"MY DEAR NEPHEW,

66

Your letter, though dated January 2d, did not reach me until about a month since; and it is not always that I can find time to write, or an opportunity of sending what I have written free of expense. However, that you may not think your letter neglected, I have snatched a few moments from the common avocations of life to devote to you.

"I am glad to find that you are industrious and careful, and that with you trade is brisk. Your only danger, I conceive, arises from your giving credit to persons who cannot or will not pay. Make good articles, and charge a good price, such as the country will bear, and your trade will recommend itself.

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By turning your attention to reading, when the business of the shop is over, you will find employment more profitable than any association with companions can afford, and furnish your mind with resources that will always yield delight.

You express a wish that I were nearer, to give

you instruction in many things. Were I present, no doubt this could be done. But remember, others can only point out the gates and doors which lead to the fields of knowledge. Every one must traverse the hills and valleys for himself; and it is only by unremitting application and perseverance that the attempt will be crowned with success.

"You ask, 'Wherein lies the difference between foreknowledge and predestination?' Foreknowledge is simply the discernment of an action or thing that is about to exist; predestination is the appointment of the action or thing. There is, therefore, as much difference, as there is between knowing the destination of a ship, and directing her to undertake and accomplish her voyage.

"Between the temptations of Satan, and the evil inclinations of our hearts, the distinction is not so evident. Temptations generally assail us through our inclinations, and give to them a degree of strength which, without temptation, they could not exercise. Temptation also frequently furnishes food for evil inclination, by placing objects in our way; as fishermen bait their hooks to catch the finny tribes. In both cases, our duty is to suppress evil inclination, and to resist temptation; and this power, through divine grace, may be attained. Do not neglect to attend public worship, and to conduct yourself as the principles of the gospel require. Above all, look to Jesus, through the efficacy of whose atonement our title to heaven is to be obtained, by the exercise of faith.

"I shall be glad to hear from you whenever you can find time to write, and beg you will not be afraid or ashamed to state any question.

"That God may give you his blessing for time and eternity, is the sincere wish of

"Your affectionate uncle,

"To Mr. James Kingdon, Jun.

"St. Blazey."

"SAMUEL DREW."

Further illustrations of Mr. Drew's affectionate manner of giving advice and instruction, in his familiar correspondence, we hope to present at the close of the volume.

There are, perhaps, few more pleasing instances of his freedom of communication, than a correspondence which he maintained with a lady, who was, at the time, the subject of mental aberration. Two letters selected from this correspondence we introduce. That from the lady may gratify curiosity, as exhibiting a remarkable instance of mono-mania.

"DEAR SIR,

"As one of our nurses is going to St. Austell, I have taken the liberty of troubling you with a few lines of inquiry after your health.

"I shall not apologise for sending the poetry, as I trust it will be acceptable. You will see, by the sentiments, it was not lately written, and will forgive the warmth of my expressions, when I tell you it was composed within a few weeks of my first becoming an inmate of the lunatic asylum. The answer to my vindication of you was written by one of my companions; who, on taking a cursory review of your work, had condemned it as being a wild chimera, and, in fact, established nothing. I was informed of this previously to my seeing him; and the energies of friendship, perhaps heightened by disorder, produced that epistle almost extemporary, which you will find in the beginning of the book. I had an interview a few days after, and was sufficiently mortified and punished for the temerity of my attack, by finding poetry was his least accomplishment: he was sensible, elegant, refined, and fascinating.

"You, who know Great wit to madness nearly is allied,' will not be surprised at my saying, that I have here met with gentlemen (I am sorry to be obliged to write in the past tense) of superior sense and learning to what I had been accustomed, whose insanity consisted chiefly in eccentricities; — those we dignify with the name of rational madmen. The book I have sent is a present to you from a most worthy gentleman, who is one of the principal of our committee; and, from some fancied merit, perhaps, has kindly noticed me ever since my first coming to the house, which he visits every week with the other gentlemen of the city.

6

"He had read and admired your work on the Identity of the Human Body,' and, seeing your name on my scrawl, kindly offered to send any letter to you, and that I would beg your acceptance of this book, with his respects; you may suppose how willing I was to oblige a person I have so much reason to esteem, and, if I have not disobliged you, shall not be dissatisfied with what I have done.

I con

"I have lately begun to read Locke, whom I understand pretty well, upon the whole; but I should be obliged by your telling me, if what he terms pure space, infinite space, or vacuum, are synonymous, and whether it excludes even air and ether. fess I cannot readily comprehend this; and, if so, how am I to understand his own words, at the 137th page of the first book, viz. For I desire any one so to divide a solid body, of any dimension he pleases, as to make it possible for the solid parts to move up and down freely every way within the bounds of their superficies, if there be not left in it a void space as

big as the least part into which he has divided the said solid body.'

6

"Is the space he there mentions, of the same nature as pure space? But what can we know of space which excludes air? And let this void space (says he) be as little as it will, it destroys the hypothesis of plenitude.' I am sorry to trouble you, but well remember how clearly I comprehended your discourse of space infinite, and infinite space, when I saw you; and doubt not but I shall be able to understand your definitions."

["Received July 31, 1812, from the Nurse of the Asylum. S. DREW."]

"St. Austell, July 31, 1812.

"MY OLD CORRESPONDENT,

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Your letter, your manuscript, and the treatise translated by Mr. M., reached me in safety, and this letter is designed to be returned by the person who brought me the parcel. I sincerely thank you for each favour, and am much pleased with all. I have perused all your lines with pleasure, and have discovered in each piece much of that original genius for which I have always given you the fullest credit. In some instances, your language is humorously severe, particularly on Dr. D., whose face is always best covered.' Your vindication of my Essay proves the warmth and sincerity of your friendship. Some of the strokes are bold and full of energy. It plainly appears, that you have entered into the tendency and design of that publication, and that you have fully appreciated the force of many of my arguments. When friendship and judgment are united, they carry the mind to its intended object with more than common rapidity.

"

On your questions concerning Mr. Locke's observations on space, and plenitude, and vacuum, I will make a few remarks. Mr. Locke considers that space